(MCT)—Even if you’re tending to the same garden, you’ll need different tools in the fall. “In the fall, you’re putting the garden to bed, so it’s important to have large multipurpose tools to work the soil,” says Maree Gaetani, director of gardening relations at Vermont-based Gardener’s Suppply Co. “In the growing season, you’re using smaller hand tools around the growing plants.”
Gardex Leaf Scoops
When you have leaves piling up in the yard, this is the tool you’ll want to grab. It was designed to fit inside yard bags or receptacles, and each scoop fits into your right or left hand. You can also use it to spread mulch and peat moss in your garden, so it’s a good all-around fall tool. The rake teeth will also help with total yard cleanup of residue. $7.99 at amazon.com
Scotts Snap Spreader
Fall is the best time to fertilize your plants and roots so they’ll have a base on which to thrive in the spring, and this is an easy way to do it. You simply push this through your lawn, and it evenly and directly spreads the bag of Snap Pac Fertilizer (fertilizer bags are sold separately and snap into the spreader). When you’re done, it folds for easy storage. $49.98 at homedepot.com
Leonard All Poly Scoop Fork
This fork is 40 percent lighter than traditional steel forks—your back will feel the difference. Its deep scoop shape handles large loads, and the all-poly construction won’t bend under pressure when mulching, collecting leaves and doing other fall cleanup activities. The American-made product has a lifetime warranty. $69.99 at gardenersedge.com
Gardener’s Supply Lifetime Half-Moon Hoe
Handmade in Holland from sustainably grown European ash hardwood, this lets you stand up straight while you work so you minimize back strain as you cut the weeds just below the soil surface. The blade is curved so you can work in the tight spaces between plants. $79.95 at gardeners.com
Fiberglass D-Handle Garden Spade
It has a steel-reinforced fiberglass handle and a heavy-duty steel blade, so this is not going to bend easily when piercing the dirt, though it’s lightweight. It’s good for working around tree roots, digging holes and doing general landscaping. $29.99 at sears.com
Fiskars Shear Ease Grass Shears
These have a patented mechanism that prevents the blades from jamming or sticking, so it saves time when you’re gardening. They rotate 360 degrees so you can cut anything, even at strange angles. $17.99 at target.com
©2014 Chicago Tribune
Distributed by MCT Information Services
